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(WSIL) -- Illinois is losing one Supreme Court Justice to retirement this summer. 

Justice Rita B. Garman announced her retirement Monday, saying she will be stepping down effective July 7, 2022.

Justice Garman has been serving as a judge in the state for nearly 5 decades at every level of the state's court system. 

She grew up in Oswego, Illinois, graduated as a lawyer in 1968, and was first appointed as associate judge in 1974. She was assigned to the Appellate Court, Fourth District, in July 1995, and was elected to the position in November 1996. Justice Garman was appointed to the Supreme Court on February 1, 2001, and elected to the Court on November 5, 2002.

The Constitution provides for vacancies to be filled by Supreme Court appointment. Garman's successor won't have to run a campaign this year, however. The replacement will serve for two years and the November 2024 election for a 10-year term will decide the seat's future.

Justice Garman is now the longest serving female judge in Illinois and the longest serving judge in the state. 

In a statement she said, "I have been privileged to work with exceptional jurists throughout my career. At every level of the court system, the people of Illinois have benefitted from some of the sharpest legal minds and most dedicated public servants in the country, all of whom work diligently to ensure the laws of our state are administered in a fair and unbiased manner.

There is no doubt that I have had the role of a lifetime, a privilege to serve the people of the state of Illinois as a member of the court system at every level. But this is the right time for me to step back from my public role and allow someone else to assume this all-important position. Thank you for the opportunity to serve you and the citizens of Illinois."

"Supreme Court Judges are elected to 10 year terms then are subject to a retention vote," said Matt Dietrich with the Illinois State Board of Elections. 

According to article 6 of the Illinois Constitution:

"A person appointed to fill a vacancy less than 60 days prior to the next primary election to nominate Judges shall serve until the vacancy is filled at the second general or judicial election following such appointment."

"It means this seat will now be open as a vacant seat in the 2024 election cycle. So what will happen is the Supreme Court will appoint a replacement for Justice Garman and that replacement will serve until a new justice is elected in the November 2024 election," added Dietrich.

John Jackson with the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute says the upcoming elections in 2022 and 2024 could be interesting when it comes to the court.

It's the first time in 50 years the judicial districts have been re-drawn.

Jackson says that has the potential to allow the court to be flipped to a Republican majority.